T minus 3 days till the Great Long Walk of 2018 takes place. This year I’ll be walking from the tip of Cape Cod to the Sagamore Bridge at the base of the Cape (about 68 miles total – I’ll be adding a few small detours from what Google Maps says.)

I’ll be walking alone for this one (not worried, there aren’t too many roads on the Cape so people will see me), but I’m also not going to be stupid. Yesterday I purchased a whistle and I’m going to be carrying a metal walking stick. (I’d like to say that it’s for protection but I’m also sure that I’ll be using it on hills and at the end of the day.)

I went back and forth on shoes. For the 2016 walk I wore sneaks and I shredded the tendon on the top of my foot (from walking on the roads’ inclines for so many miles.) I came very close to having surgery on that injury.

For 2017 I switched to hiking boots and ended up with 9 of the most painful blisters I’ve ever had -truly impressive.

The Cape is relatively flat. I’ve decided to go back to sneakers for this one (Saucony – which fit me well) and I’ll be packing bandages for any blisters that may occur. The goal is to walk 14 miles a day which may not sound like too much, but remember I’ve already gone beyond the time when my docs said I wouldn’t be able to walk anymore and would need a total knee(s).

This is why I continue to walk – because, for now anyway, I can.

And I will continue until the day that I can’t.

The weather isn’t going to be that great, rain is predicted for 3 of the 5 days I’ll be walking. I’m not afraid of getting wet, but cold is not my friend so I’m trying to figure out a layering system that will work. My last two walks were in the middle of August and as a result I’ve only done this in hot, hot, weather. It might be nice to have it be a little cooler (as long as it’s not frigid.)

And even though there has ever been only one bear sighting on the Cape (people think it swam over) I will keep the bear bells on my pack.